The present invention relates generally to elevator controls and, in particular, to an apparatus for controlling an emergency stop of an elevator.
Present day elevator systems perform an emergency stop during certain failure conditions such as loss of incoming power, safety circuit failure, etc. This type of stop involves the removal of power from the drive system and the application of the mechanical brake. Since the brake sets with a predefined force (sufficient to hold 150% of the maximum load) the car deceleration varies widely as a function of the actual load in the car during the emergency stop. Thus, passengers could be subjected to discomfort and potential injury during harsh emergency elevator stops.